Archives of American Art

Advancing American Art: exhibition records

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.unitstat
Creators:
United States. Department of State
Dates:
1946-1977
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
250 Items
(on partial microfilm reel)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Correspondence, 1946-1977, and clippings, 1946-1948, relating to a traveling exhibition of art organized by the United States Department of State.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Advancing American Art was an exhibition organized in 1946 by J. LeRoy Davidson and Richard Heindel of the State Department to promote American art. The seventy-nine oil paintings were purchased by the State Dept., supplemented by 39 watercolors funded by the American Federation of Arts under contract to the State Dept., and after being introduced in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in October 1946, were to travel in segments to Latin America and Europe for a five-year tour. Despite being well received in Prague, criticism in the U.S. from conservatives about the mostly abstract paintings being "un-American" led to the withdrawl of funding for the remainder of the tour, the recall of the paintings, and their sale as "surplus" property by the War Assets Administration in 1948.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reel 3769 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1983 by Susan Sivard, who acquired the materials while researching the exhibition for an article which appeared in the April 1984 issue of Arts magazine.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

More Information

Other Title

Other Title
Advancing American art (box label)


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art, American Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Traveling exhibitions Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Advancing American Art (1946-1948) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
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